Category Archives: Pokemon

Japan Envy: Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Pokémon Café

If there’s one thing I still regret about my trip last July to Japan, it’s that I never got to go to one of The GUEST cafe&diner’s themed café events. Unfortunately, even if you are lucky enough to be around Shibuya, Tokyo during one of their exciting collaborations, you’ll still need to line up for anywhere from one to three hours… And they don’t take reservations! Still, thanks to the wonders of the internet, I can continue to drool over their adorable food items and exclusive merchandise from the comfort of my home in Australia. While their collaborations have usually tended toward specific characters, this time they’ve opened none other than a Pokémon Café!

Even the logo is adorable! For this event, the café is celebrating the 2014 release of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the Nintendo 3DS, so all of the food on their menu is styled accordingly. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights!

All food orders come with this complimentary paper placemat, which can be taken home with you (be careful not to spill anything on it!).
There are plenty of savory food items for Pikachu fans, the most striking of which being the omurice, or omlette rice, with either Team Magna or Team Aqua sauce. The official site doesn’t give any indication of what this special sauce might be, so let’s assume they’re both the same aside from the admittedly slightly unappetizing blue color of the Team Aqua sauce. The sauces come in the Pokéball cup pictured in the bottom right, which you can take home when you’re finished! 
The exceedingly red meal is mapo dofu (mapo tofu) based on Primal Groudon served with rice. Mapo dofu is a Chinese dish that’s quite popular in Japan, and is tofu based (hence the name) with spicy sauce and mince meat. Looks hot!
Pictured below that are some simple Pokémon french fries. I’m always amazed at how they print different pictures on edible items, though! Also note the sauce on the side shaped like a Pokéball. 
For those that have room for dessert, there’s this amazingly adorable Pikachu pancake. I love how they even added the tail! This dish also comes with a cup of maple syrup, and, as with the previous dish, the cup can be taken home. 
Since there was a dish inspired by Primal Groudon, of course they had to do one for Primal Kyogre! This dessert contains jelly, white chocolate, and berry mouse. It’s certainly very blue!
Last but not least, they also have Pikachu lattes, both hot and cold! I have to say the yellow cold Pikachu latte is definitely the more impressive of the two! 
All drink orders come with one special coaster to take home, with five different designs total. Which is your favorite?

And of course, it wouldn’t be a collaborative event without some exclusive merchandise! Here’s just a small sample of the items available – I’ll admit that I’m drooling over that tote bag! 
There are more food and merchandise items available to view on the café’s official site, so be sure to check it out! The collaboration is scheduled to run until the end of May, so you have plenty of time to plan your 3 hour wait if you happen to be in the area. If you’re able to make it in, you’ll also have the chance to download an exclusive Pikachu to your copy of Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire!

Scary Pokémon Halloween website features Gengar, Banette, and… Junji Ito?

The world of Pokémon has always been a slightly sinister place, from the designs of some of the Pokémon themselves (Mr. Mime for all you clown lovers out there), to Pokédex entries that reveal a darker side to the otherwise adorable little creatures. In fact, the Lavender Town tower cemetary in Pokémon Red/Blue is so infamous that it was the first example on the subject of death in Japanese popular media that Harvard professor Alexander Zahlten mentioned it at the beginning of a talk of his I went to earlier this year!

The creepier aspects of Pokémon have never really been directly discussed, and certainly not promoted, by the creators of the games themselves, but this year the Pokémon Company is fully embracing Pokémon scare potential with the Hontou wa kowai? (Actually scary?) Pokémon website. Just in time for Halloween, the Hontou wa kowai? website celebrates all ghost and dark Pokémon that have the potential to send a chill down your spine. A variety of scary Pokémon, or KowaPoké (an amalgamation of kowai, or scary, and Pokémon) grace the site, and there are a number of informational pages, activities, and more. 
The website plays the eery Lavender Town theme, of course… 
The frustrating thing about many Japanese holiday tie-in events is that they only occur in Japan, but in the case of this website, anyone in the world can join in the fun! Even if you don’t understand Japanese, there are plenty of things to see, such as the scary Pokémon minigame, festive wallpapers for smartphones and computers, coloring pages, and even some short manga.
“You’re so wonderful…” 
The site is being regularly updated throughout the month with tons of information on scary Pokémon in the various Pokémon games themselves, as well. One such update, however, revealed a very surprising collaboration… 
full image
Master of Japanese horror Junji Ito himself is doing a series of collaborative illustrations for the website! The above image depicting the evil plush Pokémon Banette is the first of two illustrations that will be released on the Hontou wa kowai? website. There will even be a special t-shirt giveaway featuring Junji Ito’s Banette illustration for 100 lucky fans, but it’s unfortunately limited to residents of Japan only.

Junji Ito is famous for his twisted horror manga, including Gyo, Uzumaki, and Tomie. Regarding the Banette illustration, he says he drew a Banette that was searching for the child that threw it out. Since Banettes are born from the grudge they hold against their previous owners for abandoning them, you can only imagine how it must feel to see a child doting on a brand new toy…

I’m not sure how I was ever able to sleep at night after playing Pokémon! Junji Ito’s second illustration has yet to be revealed, but I can’t wait to see what scary Pokémon he draws next… 

Japan Envy: Pokémon Trainer Red Nendoroid

There’s nothing like an out-of-blue announcement to really get the blood pumping, eh? I’d say that’s exactly what happened when Nintendo put up the shocking reveal trailer for the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire remakes, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire for the 3DS just the other day. Following that Pokémon announcement, a Japanese Twitter user tweeted a photo of a Pokémon Center poster that is sure to delight all the Nendoroid fans out there: 

That’s right, the original Pokémon trainer Red has been Nendoroid-ified! His design is based on the Pokemon Origins TV special that aired last year, and will be limited to Pokémon Centers and Amazon.jp’s Pokémon Center store, meaning it will sadly be rather tough for anyone outside of Japan to purchase him. 
While these are the only pictures of Red released so far, we do know from the poster that he will come with the three facial expressions shown, four different arm parts, five hand parts, and three leg parts. Three is a rather odd number of legs, but I assume that means one might be bent? 
Even more exciting, however, is the fact that he comes with all three original starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, along with a Pokéball, Master Ball, Pokédex, and his backpack. Think of all the posing possibilities! 
Preorders open on May 24th and will be available until June 29th, and he will retail for ¥4,500. He releases on September 27th, but only those with preorders will be able to get their hands on one at retail price, and you can bet resellers will attempt to gouge unlucky potential buyers soon after. Overseas fans looking to order him will have to rely on a friend to go to a physical Pokémon Center or using a proxy service to order him from Amazon.jp, as they unfortunately will not ship figures outside of Japan. If you’re at a loss of where to look for a proxy service, White Rabbit Japan is a great option. 
So, how about it? Are you a big enough Pokémon fan to pick this one up, or would you prefer a different trainer? I’m not particularly interested in Red himself, but those starter Pokémon are very tempting…

UPDATE: Good Smile Company has put up a listing for the Red Nendoroid on their website, which includes images of his accessories and the three starters:

Japan Envy: Avalanche of Pokémon Battle Trozei Merchandise

Whether you call it Pokémon Battle Trozei or Pokémon Link: Battle!, there’s no denying that the eShop-exclusive match three game’s announcement back in February came as a bit of a surprise. The game’s sudden announcement and its subsequent release in all territories just a month later left this Pokémon-obsessed gal assuming that Pokémon Battle Trozei would be left to die much like poor Pokémon Rumble U. But low and behold, the Japanese release of the game has brought an onslaught of exclusive merchandise, including not one, but two 3DS XLs!

The first item revealed was this lovely white limited edition 3DS XL. It won’t be available at retail, though – it’s a prize for a contest only available to memebers of the Pokémon Daisuki club. If you happen to be a member, you need to watch three videos between March 28th and April 18th and send in your guess of how many different Pokémon icons appear at the end of the videos to be entered in the drawing. There will only be two winners, but 30 runners up will get a cute set of two sticker sheets, which will also be going on sale at the end of April.

A second Pokémon Battle Trozei 3DS XL was revealed in the Japanese children’s magazine Coro Coro, but this one will also be extremely limited – only five readers who send in entries will be selected to win the lottery. In the bottom right corner of the above image it says there are only 5 of these 3DS’s in the world, so it’s probably safe to say we won’t be seeing them elsewhere.

In slightly more accessible Pokémon Battle Trozei merchandise news, Pokémon Centers across Japan are holding a lottery for a slew of adorable limited edition merchandise until April 6th. Anyone who buy the game on their 3DS while in the store will get a voucher for one prize, and after that subsequent entries can be acquired for every 3,000 yen, or $30, spent in the store. Just like the Hatsune Miku lottery event I covered a few days ago, everyone is guaranteed a prize with every entry. Let’s take a look at what’s available to win:

The “lowest” tier of items are Pokémon Battle Trozei postcards, of which there are five designs. Those who draw number 4 will be able to pick one of the five. 

The number 3 prize consists of three different sticker sheets, of which the winner can choose one.

The number 2 prize will win participants one of three different pencil cases. I wouldn’t be able to decide between the first two!

The number 4 prize is this adorable mug – winners can choose either the white or the yellow design. I don’t normally like yellow very much, but I think I prefer that one, personally.

Finally, the “special” prize, which I’m assuming is the most rare, is this very cool 65 cm by 45 cm pillow.

Unlike the Hatsune Miku lottery, the price of entry to this lottery is pretty high, but it’s great that they give people who download the game a free go. While once probably isn’t enough to win the pillow or mug, I wouldn’t mind a free postcard or sticker sheet, personally!

Unfortunately, the chances of any of us outside of Japan getting our hands on any Pokémon Battle Trozei merchandise is quite slim. Here’s hoping Nintendo decides to do at least a little something for the North American release on the 20th!

Japan Envy: New Pokémomo, Regional Pokémon Goods

I think it’s become pretty apparent by now that one of my favorite subjects for Japan Envy posts is the Pokémon-related merchandise that never makes it out of Japan. Well, I’m happy (or unhappy, depending on how you look at it) to report that I continue to have reasons to envy Japan’s awesome Pokémon merchandise, as two of my favorite Pokémon goods series are getting new lines in the upcoming months.

First is the Pokémon Tōchi, or Regional Pokémon (literally “Local Pokémon”) series. These are designs that are limited to specific areas of Japan, and as such can only be found certain Pokémon Centers. I really like regional goods and am always interested in the unique “local flavor” each city of Japan has, so aside from that creepy Pikachu whose head is far too big for his body, I’m generally all for this kind of series. Here are the newly-released designs:

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From the left to right, the prefectures represented are Kyoto, Nara, Hyogo, and Okinawa. As I mentioned before, something about that Pikachu really doesn’t jive with me, but I think the Meowth and Oshawott designs in particular are very cute. I personally have a special place in my heart for Hyogo prefecture, as that’s where I spent a year when I studied abroad in Japan, so the “weathervane-raiding sailor man” Oshawott (that’s a direct translation of the description! I can’t make this stuff up) definitely speaks to me, but my favorite overall would have to be the pineapple Meowth. Too bad it’s only available in Okinawa.

The new Regional Pokémon goods will be available at the Osaka and Okinawa Pokémon Centers from the end of April, with no end date specified. Available merchandise will include keychains, pens, and hand towels (pictured above), as well as socks, which apparently will go on sale in May.

Next we have the second line in the Pokémomo series, which is a collaboration with illustrator Momo Okada. While it’s hard to beat the first Pokémomo series, as it featured not only Snorlax, but Plusle, Minon, and Gengar, Momo Okada’s weirdly charming Pokémon interpretations just can’t be ignored, regardless of the Pokémon she’s drawing.

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The second Pokémomo series will be available at Pokémon Centers nationwide starting from the 11th of May. I hope they make adult-sized socks, because I know I could totally rock a pair or two!

Crafty Pixel: Jigglypuff Vita Case

The craft bug strikes me often, but it’s not often that I actually finish a crafty endeavor I start. In the case of practical items, however, necessity requires me to complete them so I can actually use them, so when I decided none of the Vita cases available at retail were anywhere near cute enough for my extremely discerning tastes, I had to come up with something on my own and have it ready to go in a flash.

Game case for size comparison/aesthetic purposes only, of course
A “flash” is a very relative term – I’d say I spent about 3 months on and off working on it, but I never really put more than a few minutes to a half hour on it at a time, and often went weeks without doing any work on it at all. The only thing that forced me to sit down and actually get it to a usable state was my US trip back in December, since I wanted to bring my Vita with me! I don’t really consider it finished, as I’d like to add a button hole for the flap someday, but right now I’m just happy that it keeps my Vita out of harm’s way. 
For the craft-curious, I made the pouch out of felt and embroidery thread, and it was entirely hand-sewed. The Jigglypuff is based off the very adorable Jigglypuff design for the Pokémon Time series of goods (you can find the picture I used as reference on this lovely site). 
I wouldn’t call myself an expert by any means, but I’m pretty happy with how it came out! It’s a really great feeling using something you’ve made – hopefully I’ll get off my lazy butt and do more projects like this in the future.

Fabulous Finds: Japanese Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire

Now here’s a game I never thought twice about picking up before now: Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire. Not that I have anything against the game, but as I’ve mentioned in the past, my time with the GBA has been very limited. After recently becoming enamored with the beauty that is Japanese GBA box art, however, I’ve spent my fare share of time perusing eBay for import titles that catch my fancy… and catch my fancy Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire did. One look at the cover and I knew I just had to have it!

Now, I’m not really a fan of pinball games, mainly because I don’t really understand the mechanics around pinball itself, but that doesn’t make this box art (and the in-game graphics themselves) any less appealing! I’ll be sure to actually give the game itself a spin on my GB micro in the near future, but for now I’ll stick to gushing about this adorable acquisition of mine: 
Kecleon is such a neat Pokémon – I love that he got featured on the front of
the box! 

I can’t believe how much detail is put into some Japanese GBA boxes. Not only is the GBA logo very unassuming, unlike what they did with the North American and European GBA cases, but nearly every side of the box has cute little touches, such as the Spheal and Sealeo shown above.

And there’s a Pikachu and Pichu on the other side!

Would you believe the inside flaps even have pictures on them? Take a look at this:

Such loving detail!

Let me remind you that this is a used copy of the game, but as everything that comes from Japan, it arrived in near-immaculate condition. It’s almost as if it was never opened…

Even the original fliers were left intact! I love little relics of the past such as these; it’s so fun to look at what they were advertising back in 2003. 
Side A
Side B
I have to say, I’m really enamored by the art style used to depict the Pokémon in this game! It’s very similar to a lot of the Pokémon Center art. The Pikachu looks a lot like the Pikachu design used on the recent 3DS XL, for example. 
I’m a little worried that pinball might be a bit tough to see on the micro’s tiny screen, but I’m determined to give it a shot! If all else fails, I can always switch over to my DS lite, after all. Expect a report on how it actually plays in the very near future! 
Oh, and what do you think of my new title, “Fabulous Finds”? I’ve been trying to think of a way to unify my “acquisition” posts for a while now. I’ve finally settled on Fabulous Finds, so I hope you all like it!